The Indiana Supreme Court said it will rule on whether to review a Tennessee woman's allegation a casino had a duty to stop her from losing about $1 million.
Jenny Kephardt, 54, of Nashville, who lost her inheritance to Caesar's Indiana during the course of a year, maintains the casino knew of her gambling addiction and was out to take advantage of her to get her money, The (Louisville, Ky.) Courier-Journal reported Saturday.
The fact that the Indiana court is willing to hear the case means there must be something about it that distinguishes it from similar cases in which the casinos have won, Joseph M. Kelly, a law professor at the State University of New York in Buffalo, said.
The casino has argued it did not have a duty to save Kephart from herself and she could have asked the casino to bar her entrance. Kephart said that did not occur to her because she had reasoned, in a way typical of those with gambling addictions, that she would have to kee...
People identified as heavy users of flowers rated emotion conditioning as more important than showing care to others, researchers in Taiwan found.
Li-Chun Huang from National Taiwan University and Tzu-Fang Yeh from Da-Yeh University headed a research project that evaluated the differences in floral consumption values across consumer groups.
A consumer survey was conducted in cities and rural areas in Taiwan in 2006 where 677 participants were surveyed to determine if they were flower users and non-users.
Values that indicate showing care to others include emotion conditioning and sensory hedonics, a phenomenon in which consumers perceive the value of flowers based on touching, smelling or tasting them.
Those participants identified as heavy users of flowers revealed different priorities, rating emotion conditioning as more important than showing care to others. The researchers say...
Militants struck Pakistan's Peshawar area again Monday when a suicide bomb attack at a police checkpoint killed at least three people, police said.
In a similar attack Sunday in the city area, the Taliban claimed responsibility for a suicide bomber killed 12 people in Mattani village. One of the victims was Abdul Malik, the village mayor.
Monday's attack at a police checkpoint on Peshawar's Ring Road also wounded another five people, Dawn newspaper reported. Police said the attacker was riding in a rickshaw.
Geo News reported the injured included a child.
Malik had publicly opposed the Taliban, The New York Times reported. Police said Malik's death was a blow to government's efforts to fight the militants.
The Pakistani military has been involved in a major operation against terror groups in South Waziristan since Oct. 17.
Peshawar, capital of Pakistan's North-West Frontier Province, has been the scene of much militan...
Many education officials base decisions on when to close schools for flu on politics or fear rather than data, U.S. and Japanese researchers say.
Epidemiologists John Brownstein and Anne Gatewood Hoen of the Children's Hospital Boston Informatics Program in collaboration with Asami Sasaki of the University of Niigata Prefecture used a detailed set of Japanese data to help guide decision making by schools and government agencies.
Sasaki, Hoen and Brownstein analyzed flu absenteeism data from a Japanese school district with 54 elementary schools. Tracking four consecutive flu seasons -- 2004-2008 -- they asked what pattern of flu absenteeism was best for detecting a true school outbreak, balanced against the practical need to keep schools open if possible.
A school outbreak was defined as a daily flu absentee rate of more than 10 percent of students. After comparing more than two dozen possible scenarios for closing a school, the analysis suggested thre...
A 6.7 magnitude earthquake early Monday struck eastern Indonesia, killing at least two people and toppling several homes, local residents said.
The town of Bima in West Nusa Tenggara province was hit hardest, the Jakarta Post reported.
China's state-run Xinhua news agency, quoting disaster management officials, said several people were injured and the quake toppled four school buildings and a health clinic.
The quake hit at about 3 a.m., with its epicenter about 17 miles off Bima and about 15 miles below the seabed, the U.S. Geological Survey said.
Shocks were felt in Makassar, capital of Sulawesi province and in Bali province, Xinhua said.
Indonesians in Sumatra are still recovering from the twin earthquakes that struck the provincial capital Padang and neighboring areas Sept. 30, killing hundreds of people and causing extensive damage.
Copyright 2009 by United Press International All Rights Reserved.
Kobe Bryant scored 28 points despite sitting out much of the second half Sunday in the Los Angeles Lakers' 104-88 win over New Orleans.
Bryant scored 26 in the first half on 10-of-16 shooting from the field for the defending NBA champion Lakers, who have won five straight and six of their first seven games to open the season.
Shannon Brown scored 15 points off the bench and Luke Walton scored 11 for the Lakers, who once again played without Pau Gasol and Andrew Bynum. Gasol has been sidelined by a small hamstring tear and Bynum is recovering from an elbow injury.
Chris Paul finished with 15 points and nine assists for the Hornets, who lost for the fifth time in their first seven games. David West scored 11 and James Posey, Emeka Okafor and Devin Brown had 10 points apiece for New Orleans.
The Lakers were ahead 55-42 at the half and used a 17-3 outburst in the third quarter to go up by 27.
Tony Romo hit Miles Austin with a 49-yard fourth-quarter touchdown pass Sunday and the Dallas Cowboys beat Philadelphia 20-16.
Romo was 21-of-34 passing for 307 yards, one interception and the touchdown pass, which was Austin's only reception of the game. Roy Williams caught five passes for 75 yards, Patrick Crayton picked up 74 yards on two catches and Jason Witten had seven catches for 43 yards for Dallas (6-2), which won its fourth straight and took sole possession of first place in the NFC East.
Marion Barber gained 50 yards on 12 rushes and Tashard Choice ran for a TD for Dallas.
Donovan McNabb was 16-of-30 passing for 227 yards, a touchdown and two interceptions for the Eagles (5-3), who had a two-game winning streak broken.
LeSean McCoy carried 13 times for 54 yards and picked up 61 yards on five catches. Brent Celek caught three passes for 39 yards and a TD for the Eagles.
Family members of 1912 Olympic gold medalist Jim Thorpe said they plan to sue for the return of his remains from a Pennsylvania town named in his honor.
Thorpe's sons said the family has tried for 25 years to gain access to Thorpe's remains. Thorpe had said he wanted to be buried in a cemetery near Shawnee, Okla., where his father and other relatives are buried, The Philadelphia Inquirer reported Sunday.
Thorpe's third wife had him buried in the Pennsylvania town in 1954 on condition the town be renamed Jim Thorpe, Pa.
Carbon County borough, where Thorpe is buried, must give up Thorpe's remains under the 1990 Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act, the newspaper reported. The law requires federal agencies receiving federal funds to return Indian artifacts and human remains to their native peoples, Sean W. Pickett, a Kansas City, Mo. lawyer specializing in American Indian Rights, said.
Columbus beat Carolina 3-2 Saturday -- the 12th straight loss for the Hurricanes, whose goalie, Cam Ward, left with a leg injury 7 1/2 minutes into the contest.
Rick Nash's third-period goal proved to be the eventual game-winner. Nikita Filatov and Jared Boll also scored for the Blue Jackets, who have notched at least a point in five straight games, going 3-0-2 in the span.
But the story of the game was the injury to Ward, the 2006 Conn Smythe Trophy winner.
As he stretched to make a save on Nash in the first period, it appeared that Nash or a Carolina defenseman cut the netminder in the leg with a skate. Ward's blood spilled onto the ice, and he was taken to a hospital for evaluation.
I don't know any more now, Carolina head Coach Paul Maurice told reporters. I know (Ward) went to the hospital. I haven't gotten a call back. It's a significant injury.... There was a fair amount of blood on the ice.
A fourth-round shootout goal by the Flyers' Mika Pyorala gave Philadelphia a 2-1 overtime win Saturday over the St. Louis Blues.
Pyorala beat Blues goalie Chris Mason, who lost in the shootout after making a huge save on the Flyers' Scott Hartnell in the overtime period to keep the game alive. David Backes had the final shootout opportunity for St. Louis, but goalie Ray Emery made the stop and sealed the win for Philadelphia.
Hartnell scored in regulation time as the Flyers won their fourth straight game. Emery stood tall in the net for Philadelphia, making 30 saves in the win.
The Blues were paced by T.J. Oshie's goal as Mason played a stellar game despite the shootout loss, stopping 35 shots.
St. Louis lost for the fifth time in six games.
Copyright 2009 by United Press International All Rights Reserved.
The Washington Capitals broke open a close game with five third-period goals Saturday in their 7-4 win over the Florida Panthers.
Mike Knuble made two goals and picked up two assists for Washington, while Tomas Fleischmann also tallied twice. Brooks Laich, Mathieu Perreault and Quintin Laing also netted goals for the Capitals, who won back-to-back games against Florida.
Capitals forward Nicklas Backstrom picked up a pair of helpers while goalie Jose Theodore notched 24 saves in the Washington win.
The Panthers, meanwhile, lost for the sixth time in nine games. They were paced by goals from Michael Frolik, Dmitry Kulikov, Michal Repik and Cory Stillman. Their goalie, Scott Clemmensen, allowed the seven goals on 32 shots.
Only 40 seconds after Perreault's first career goal tied the game at 3-3 at the 2:21 mark of the third period, Laing gave the Capitals the lead. Stillman answered, but Fleischmann put the Capitals back on top for good at 7:2...
Martin St. Louis had two goals Thursday to help the Tampa Bay Lightning halt its nine-game losing streak with a 3-1 triumph over Montreal.
It was the Lightning's first victory since Nov. 21 against Nashville.
Olaf Kolzig stopped 31 shots and was perfect over the final two periods.
Montreal's lone goal came on the power play from Patrice Brisebois to open the scoring 5:34 into the contest. St. Louis tied the game midway through the first and then he produced the contest's last score shorthanded 8:31 into the second.
Montreal had won four of its previous five. Jaroslav Halak made 19 saves in the loss.
Copyright 2008 by United Press International All Rights Reserved.
The New York Islanders unleashed a display of firepower against the Atlanta Thrashers Saturday, with six players scoring in a 6-3 victory.
The Isles got goals from Matt Moulson, Blake Comeau, Sean Bergenheim, Andy Sutton, Josh Bailey and Jack Hillen while chasing Atlanta goalie Ondrej Pavelec.
Dwayne Roloson, meanwhile, had a good night in the nets for New York, making 31 saves.
The Islanders took control of the game by notching the final two goals of the first period. Bergenheim registered his first tally of the year at the 13:34 mark, and Hillen's first of the season came with 1:08 left in the initial period.
Comeau continued the assault just 22 seconds into the second period when he scored to extend New York's lead to 4-1.
Copyright 2009 by United Press International All Rights Reserved.
Campaigners are stepping up efforts to curb online tracking of Internet use by firms that deliver adverts tailored to the specific interests of consumers, as polls reveal widespread unease with the practice.
Corporations have always collected personal data on the people who buy their products but in the past this information came from sources such as magazine subscriptions and warranty cards, experts at a three-day privacy conference that wrapped up Friday in Madrid said.
Now it is flowing at breakneck speed into databases from multiple online sources, from dating services to newspaper websites, giving companies the unprecedented power to create detailed profiles of their customers, in many cases without their being aware of it, they added.
"There are so many grey areas in advertising that if the end user knew about it all, it would make their ...
The U.S. House Saturday night narrowly passed a sweeping overhaul of the healthcare system that backers say would provide coverage to almost all Americans.
The measure passed 220-215 about 11:15 p.m. after a day of intense lobbying, including a visit to the U.S. Capitol by President Barack Obama, who has made healthcare reform his top priority.
For generations, the American people have called for affordable, quality healthcare for their families, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi of California said on the House floor before the vote. Today, the call will be answered.
The first major reform of the U.S. healthcare system in four decades would provide insurance to 36 million more Americans, so 96 percent of the nation's population would be covered, supporters said. The plan, which would cost more than $1 trillion over a decade, would add a government-run health insurance option and provide subsidies for poor people to buy insurance.
Nobel laureate says global crisis a chance to change
by William Ickes WOLFSBURG, Germany (AFP) --
Nobel Peace Laureate Muhammad Yunus calls the global economic crisis "an excellent opportunity to reflect and redesign" businesses, and devote creative ones to solving social problems.
Yunus, who with his Grameen Bank -- which gives tiny loans to the very poor to help start businesses -- won the 2006 Peace Prize, told media here on Saturday: "Any problem has a potential of being addressed with a social business."
"Social business being a business where you don't make money," he explained. "Zero profit for the investors."
The ground-breaking "microcredit" banker from Bangladesh is backed by corporations like food giant Danone, global water group Veolia, sportswear company Adidas, software pioneer SAP and academics at Kyushu University in Japan.
The first Global Grameen Meeting of companies, foundations, think-tanks, scientifi...
Phil Kessel scored his first goal as a Maple Leaf, sparking Toronto to its first home win of the year Saturday, 5-1 over the Detroit Red Wings.
Kessel, who came to the Leafs in an off-season trade with Boston, scored to make it 2-0 Toronto when he gathered up a loose puck behind Red Wings goalie Chris Osgood and put an easy tap-in past the netminder with 26 seconds remaining in the first period.
Jeff Finger, Wayne Primeau, John Mitchell and Alexei Ponikarovsky also tallied for the Leafs, who raised their home record to 1-4-2 so far this season. Toronto goalie Jonas Gustavsson stopped 35 shots for the win.
The Red Wings lost to the lowly Maple Leafs for the third straight time and had their three-game winning streak snapped. Daniel Cleary got Detroit's only goal.
Copyright 2009 by United Press International All Rights Reserved.
Caylee Anthony - Play About Her Daughter Throws Casey Anthony Into A Rage
ORANGE COUNTY, Fl., Nov.7 (TOTI) --
Almost a year after the body of 3 year old Caylee Anthony was discovered in a Florida wetland, an upcoming play that's based on the toddler's
horrific death has enraged her mother and accused killer, Casey Anthony.
The play, titled Tot Mom was created by Steven Soderbergh and is scheduled to run from December 18 through January 31 at the Sydney Theater Companyin Australia. Other projects that Soderbergh include directing the films Erin Brockovich and Ocean's Eleven.
The National Enquirer reports that news of the production infuriated 23 year old Casey Anthony. When Anthony was informed of the upcoming play, she responded, "Are you (expletive) kidding me? You get my (expletive) lawyer, now!"
Anthony stands to make no royalties from the play, as it...
Rosie O'Donnell Speculates On Oprah Winfrey's Sexuality - Infuriates The Talk Show Queen
NEW YORK, NY., Nov.7 (TOTI) --
Rosie O'Donnell has always been known for being outspoken, but as she launched her new satellite radio show Rosie crossed hairs with formidable TV talk show host, Oprah Winfrey, after speculating once again that she's gay.
O'Donnell buried her beef with Howard Stern and the two shock jocks openly discussed Oprah's elationship with Gayle King, her BFF of forever.
The National Enquirer reports that O'Donell told Stern, "I don't know that she and Gayle are necessarily doing each other, but I think they are the emotional equivalent of.."
Stern finished the sentence for her, saying "..a gay couple."
Not one to let the conversation die off, Rosie quickly added, "When they did that road trip, that's as gay as it gets, and I don't mean it to be an insult, either. I'm just s...
Paris Hilton And Doug Reinhardt Celebrate Halloween
LOS ANGELES, CA., Nov. 7 (TOTI) --
Multiple reports said that Paris Hilton and her boyfriend Doug Reinhardt had a bit of a public spat on Halloween.
Hilton denies it ever happened.
The couple was being followed by photographers in Los Angeles, as usual, when they allegedly tossed a cell phone out their limo window.
According to the photographers, the 28 year old socialite Paris Hilton jumped from the car and looked for the device. When she couldn't find it, she and the 24-year old Reinhardt engaged in a heated discussion.
Paris seemed non-plussed the following day when she hit her Twitter account.
"Had the best Halloween ever! loves it!" she Tweeted.
Kate Hudson And Alex Rodriguez Romance To Heat Up After Yankees Championship
NEW YORK CITY, NY., Nov. 7 (TOTI) --
Alex Rodriguez helped the New York Yankees win their 27th World Championship, now he's looking to capture a pennant in his love life. The slugger, who has formerly been linked to Madonna and a slew of strippers, seems ready to settle down with actress Kate Hudson.
The 34-year old Alex has already made plans for Kate Hudson, 30, and her 4 year old son Ryder to join him in Miami for some fun during the off-season.
Not only that, insiders close to the Yankee say he's planning on asking Kate for her hand in marriage.
"He's been talking about it quite a bit lately," a source told OK!. "He wants to think of a creative and cute way to pop the question."
The two are already having a bit of fun concerning what it would be like to be married, especially when it comes to the...
Jessica Simpson Defends Sister Ashlee Simpson Wentz After Melrose Place Dismissal
LOS ANGELES, CA., Nov. 7 (TOTI) --
You could forgive Ashlee Simpson-Wentz for being a bit down in the dumps lately. The singer/actress was fired from her stint on Melrose Place last week, along with co-star Colin Egglesfield.
Luckily for Ashlee, though, her big sister Jessica Simpson was ready with her support.
Jessica Simpson took to the world-famous micro-blogging service Twitter to Tweet some words of encouragement.
"CW, catching up on MP. who writes this crap? i have had bad scripts to work with, but this? thank God my sister is amazing and got you some press....Watch til Jan..:)" she wrote.
January is the month when the final episode starring Ashlee Simpson-Wentz will air.
Ashlee, 25, took her firing in stride. She thanked CW for the opportunity to play the part.
Oscar The Grouch From Sesame Street Is Today's Google Logo
MOUNTAIN VALLEY, Ca., Nov.7 (TOTI) --
Oscar the Grouch joins his pals Big Bird, Cookie Monster and Bert and Ernie as one of this week's Google logos.
Oscar is best known for living in a metal trash and loving trash of all sorts. As his name suggests, Oscar can be grumpy at times but that doesn't make
Taylor Lautner Of New Moon And Taylor Swift Romance Revealed
LOS ANGELES, CA., Nov. 7 (TOTI) --
Taylor Lautner and Taylor Swift will be appearing in a new movie Valentine's Day together, and apparently their on-screen romance has translated into a real life one. According to a new report in OK! Called "Yes, We're In Love!" the two stars are very much together, and loving every minute of it.
They've only been dating for three weeks, but according to an insider, "they've fallen head over heals for each other."
Taylor Lautner, who plays the lead of Jacob Black in the upcoming New Moon, is smitten with the blond country crooner.
"He told me flat-out, 'We are in love,'" said another insider.
According to the friend, Lautner and Swift, the couple spent a lot of time together in Los Angeles last week. Not only that, but the two are dating exclusively.
GM in talks to bring Chinese cars to India: report
NEW DELHI (AFP) --
US auto giant General Motors is in advanced talks with its Chinese partners on a proposal to bring their vehicles to India, according to the Press Trust of India.
GM began talks with its partners Shanghai Automotive Industry Corp (SAIC) and Wuling eight months ago to explore possibilities of bringing their light commercial vehicles to India.
"Now we know what can work in India and what cannot," Karl Slym, the president of General Motors India, was quoted as saying by the news agency on Saturday.
"We are at a position (where) very, very soon we should be able to make a decision" on how to proceed, Slym said.
GM and the two other companies have a three-way joint venture in China known as SAIC-GM-Wuling Automobile Co.
They are also looking beyond bringing only commercial vehicles to India through their partnership, the news agency said.
Global banking giant HSBC said it was renewing its sponsorship of the Women's Champions tournament for the next three years, but prize money would be slashed.
The tournament regularly attracts the world's top 10 players but as the global downturn bites, the prize purse will be reduced in 2010 by 700,000 dollars to 1.3 million dollars.
It will remain in Singapore until at least 2012.
The USLPGA Tour event, won last year by South Korea's Shin Ji-Yai, has been held twice previously to complement the HSBC Champions, a seven million dollar tournament for men currently under way in Shanghai.
"We are firm in our commitment to women's golf. The tournament will not change," HSBC Singapore chief executive Guy Harvey-Samuel said in Shanghai on Saturday.
"Women's golf is a wonderful product and the golfers are superb ambassadors for their sport and we are h...
Parents of children at a British nursery school where an admitted pedophile worked can decide whether to be told if she named them as victims, a judge said.
Vanessa George has provided some names of children she abused at Little Ted's in Plymouth, Judge John Royce confirmed. Royce is presiding over the case in Bristol Crown Court, The Guardian reported.
I take the view that if parents want to find out whether their child has been abused and if that information has been given then they should be in a position to do so, Royce said. If they do not want to know, and I fully understand why some parents should not want to know, then the information should not be thrust upon them. It should be a parental choice.
George, Colin Blanchard, 38, and Angela Allen, 39, are awaiting sentencing. George's lawyer says his client was manipulated by Blanchard, who was trying to get child pornography.
More female veterans are becoming homeless across the United States, the Department of Veterans Affairs says
The current estimate is about 6,000 nationwide. Jennifer Eaves, a VA social worker in Utah for the past 10 months, told The Salt Lake Tribune she has found around a dozen in that state.
Eaves, a veteran of the Navy, said many homeless women who have served in the military do not realize they are eligible for help from the VA, Some who do are reluctant to ask for help.
Women are more likely to leave the military with a few less reasons to trust the system than men, Eaves said. It's still true today that women suffer from humiliation, intimidation and sexual harassment.
Deborah Caldwell, 29, who served in the Air Force, found out she was eligible for benefits only because of a social worker's mistake when she and her three children checked into a Salt Lake City shelter. She noticed the social worker had not checked...
Chris Stewart's goal in the eighth round of the shootout Friday gave Colorado a 4-3 win over Chicago and kept the Avalanche unbeaten at home this season.
Stewart beat Chicago goalie Antti Niemi on the blocker side to nail down the win after both sides scored earlier in the shootout.
Rookie Ryan O'Reilly scored two goals in regulation for the Avalanche and David Jones added the other. Craig Anderson made 29 saves.
Dustin Byfuglien had a goal for Chicago but was denied by Niemi in the Blackhawks' final try in the shootout. Duncan Keith and Andrew Ladd also scored for the visitors.
Chicago took a 2-0 lead in the first period, but Colorado stormed back with three consecutive goals to make it 3-2. Colorado had just three shots on goal in the second period, but scored on two of them.
Ladd scored on a rebound with 3:20 to play in the second period to tie the game and force a scoreless overtime period.
Two fourth-quarter touchdowns Friday kept No. 5 Boise State undefeated with a 45-35 win over WAC rival Louisiana Tech.
Kellen Moore threw a 12-yard TD pass to Austin Pettis midway through the quarter and Jeremy Avery bolted for a 43-yard score for the Broncos (9-0, 4-0 WAC).
Tech scored a pair of TDs in the final quarter but could not overcome their less-productive first half, in which they scored only seven points.
The Broncos racked up 507 yards of offense to Tech's 250.
Moore completed 28-of-41 passes for 354 yards, three touchdowns and one interception, which was returned 76 yards for a touchdown by Josh Victorian.
Pettis caught nine passes for 105 yards and Titus Young had nine catches for 110 yards and a touchdown.
Ross Jenkins threw for 114 yards and a touchdown for Louisiana Tech. Daniel Porter and Dennis Morris ran for touchdowns.
Copyright 2009 by United Press International All Rights Res...
Chris Bosh scored 27 points and the Toronto Raptors hit 14 3-pointers Friday en route to a 107-90 road win at New Orleans.
The Raptors had four players in double figures and hit 14 of their 29 attempts from behind the arc.
We just made shots, said Jose Calderon, who tallied 16 points. Some days you make them and other days the ball just doesn't want to go in.
Chris Paul had 21 points to lead the Hornets. Bobby Brown scored 16 and David West 14.
The Raptors trailed 51-49 at halftime but came out swinging in the third quarter with a 13-0 run that gave them a 64-56 lead five minutes into the period. They pulled ahead 83-65 heading into the fourth quarter and at one point led 95-71 after a 3-pointer by Antoine Wright.
Copyright 2009 by United Press International All Rights Reserved.
Comedy Central says it will begin airing next year the animated U.S. comedy series The Goode Family, which started out on ABC.
Media Rights Capital, Ternion Pictures, 3Arts Entertainment and Comedy Central announced Friday the show from Mike Judge, John Altschuler and Dave Krinsky will start airing on its new network Jan. 6. The complete first season of The Goode Family will be broadcast on Wednesday nights.
The show first premiered on ABC last May.
Mike, John and Dave certainly turn the tables on liberals with this show. That's not done very often on television, but the humor comes from skewering extremism and taking things too far, either to the left or the right, Modi Wiczyk -- co-chief executive officer of MRC -- said in a statement. We know Comedy Central viewers will embrace 'The Goode Family.'
Altschuler, the show's creator and executive producer, said the show isn't just about ridiculing liberals.<...
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About Me
Name: Pixie
Location: Ohio, United States
I'm a thirty something vegetarian. My heart has been captured by the man of my dreams and my 3 cats. One day I'd like to own a mushroom farm. For real :)
